Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis — DTM&H MCQ

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HardTropical viral infectionsRabies post-exposure prophylaxisDTM&H

A 22-year-old tourist is bitten deeply on the hand by a stray dog in rural India. He has never received rabies vaccine and the wound is bleeding. What is the most appropriate treatment?

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Correct answer: B — Wound washing, rabies vaccine and rabies immunoglobulin

Wound washing, rabies vaccine and rabies immunoglobulin is the single best answer because a transdermal dog bite in a rabies-risk country is category III exposure requiring wound care, vaccine and immunoglobulin if not previously immunised. Rabies vaccine without wound care is plausible in a related presentation, but it is less appropriate because it does not fit the key discriminator in this vignette. The teaching point is that rabies is almost invariably fatal once symptomatic, so prophylaxis is urgent.

Reference: WHO disease outbreak guidance; UKHSA travel-associated infection guidance; CDC Yellow Book 2026